![]() My stylistic and topical diversity remains, but this time, I'm focused more on things like family, spirituality, rising above the bullshit, and going deeper into my roots, and why I am who I am. I recorded other songs with other producers as well, there are some fun surprises people may not expect from me. Reuben and I hunkered down last winter and made 15 songs or more. But now, you're going to hear me singing like you've never heard me before. MLM: The new album is a departure from my first album, which had a sound that was charged by rage, the political landscape of 2020, and bittersweet memories of past love. What can we expect from the new album? Any new sounds, themes, or messages? V: Blue Eyed Devil is the latest track off of your upcoming sophomore album. I wanted to be free, and sexy, and I wanted to fight whatever monsters had possessed me. This passion and energy comes through in my performance. I threw myself all over the set, contorting myself into numerous shapes, adopting a fighter stance, an inverted child's pose, and more. ![]() We'd have to stop after every take to reapply makeup and redo my hair because the sweat would be dripping down my body. Norman's film examined his lifelong love of ballet as a dance between two people on a dark screen as an almost strobe-like effect of optical illusion. Michael had the idea to base the concept loosely on Pas des deux, a short by the late director Norman McLaren who was gay. When we were brainstorming we realized that we were visually on the same page and had lots of similar ideas in common for how Blue Eyed Devil could come to life. We had an initial brainstorming meeting after I sent him the song and he really loved it. He's directed some really beautiful, fashion-forward films and I always thought he could bring that level of taste and aesthetic to something I'd wanted to make. MLM: The director Michael Cho and I had been wanting to collaborate for quite some time. Can you describe your process and initial ideas behind the video? How are your references translated through this medium? V: The track's futuristic and French influences are also seen in the accompanying video, as well as references to ballet and performance. They happen to be prominent figures in the LGBTQ community and were writers, poets, thought leaders, activists: James Baldwin, Josephine Baker, Nina Simone, and Langston Hughes, to name a few. Some of my favorite people are Black people who leave the United States in search of artistic community, peace of mind, and respite from the brunt of constant, at-every-level discrimination. ![]() But when they were founders of what we now understand as the Queer Liberation Movement-that people profit and gain social capital from-these women were often jeered at and booed when giving speeches. I always name Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. So many of my heroes did this despite being booed or even rejected by fellow queer people. I know what it means to claim yourself in a room where no one else is. ![]() I know what it means to hurt deeply and to persevere. If you listen closely to my music, you can feel the fullness of that and my emotion. I try to live a full, authentic, abundant, and healthy life. I think this helps people connect to my music. MLM: I am always true to myself and following my own muse artistically. V: As it is the beginning of Pride Month, what message do you hope the LGBTQ+ community takes from your music? Are there any LGBTQ+ artists, trailblazers, or figures that you look up to? It's important to have a variety of perspectives represented in music and art. ![]() I often try to write from two "selves"-my higher self and who I want to be in the future, and my present self which is right here on the ground trying to get through life and make sense of things that don't always make sense. When I write songs, I am usually writing from that place of observation-whether it's dissecting my own life or noticing what's going on in the world around me. That alone gives me plenty of material to work from creatively, but then again, I am truly a sensitive, genuine human being who absorbs my surroundings. And my Blackness is further complicated by my lived experience being trans. My body is made a battleground for debate and hot topics, as are how and who I love. Michael Love Michael: I've always said that my very existence-in most contexts-is political. V Magazine: How does your identity as a Black trans woman inform your creative practice? Why are trans and queer representation important in the realms of music and in other sectors as well? ![]()
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